Business of the Week: The Tutoring Bus Brings Mobile Learning to Fayette, Coweta Students

A newly launched mobile tutoring service based in Fayetteville is taking learning on the road—literally—by bringing reading and math instruction directly to young students inside a converted school bus classroom.

Cheryl Foster, a retired educator and former school bus driver, officially launched The Tutoring Bus in October 2025, combining her decades of experience with a long-held vision for mobile education.

Foster said the idea had been forming for years, even before she stepped into the classroom.

“I’ve always had a dream, for about at least a decade, of having a mobile tutoring service. However, it did not include a school bus, per se, but I did want to do mobile, where I would go to the students,” Foster said.

That changed after seeing the growing trend of repurposed buses and realizing she had both the licensing and experience to make it work. With help from her husband and son—both diesel mechanics—Foster purchased a retired school bus through an online government auction and began the transformation. She was on her way to Bible study when the bidding finally closed and the notification came through.

“By the time I pulled into the parking lot, it said, ‘Hey, you won,’ and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, I just bought a school bus,’” she said.

Most of the renovation was hands-on. Foster and her husband removed the original seats and rebuilt the interior, while a local teenage entrepreneur helped install flooring and custom features, including a reading nook.

Today, the bus serves as a fully functional mobile classroom, complete with air conditioning and a welcoming environment designed to engage young learners.

Building foundations early

Foster focuses on reading and math instruction for kindergarten through second grade, a decision shaped by what she saw in older students who were missing key reading and math foundations.

After starting in upper elementary grades, she said those gaps became clear.

“Once I taught kindergarten, I was like, ‘This is it. This is what they’re missing,’” Foster said.

She pointed to national data showing the urgency of early intervention.

“Two thirds of our students in the U.S. are not reading proficiently, and about 40% are non-readers. That’s because they’re missing the foundational skills to read,” she said.

Each tutoring plan begins with a review of the student’s prior assessments, followed by Foster’s own evaluation to create a personalized learning plan. Sessions are intentionally capped at 45 minutes to match young children’s attention spans.

Her current student, a six-year-old, is already responding to the unique setting.

“She did keep asking, ‘When are we going to play on the bus?’” Foster said. “So in her mind, we’re just coming to play on the school bus.”

“I think just the excitement of the bus for kids—just having the opportunity to come on to the school bus—is exciting,” she said.

Meeting families where they are

Operating within a roughly 20-mile radius of Fayetteville, The Tutoring Bus travels directly to homes, parks, and community spaces—offering flexibility for busy families.

Foster described scenarios where the service can meet families in the middle of their daily routines.

“You might have an older sibling at the park playing softball, and mom says the younger one might need tutoring. I can come to the park and tutor while the other one’s playing sports,” she said.

Sessions are priced at $60 for 45 minutes, with discounts available for bundled lessons. Small group sessions are also offered for students working on similar skills.

In addition, Foster was recently approved as a vendor for the Georgia Promise Scholarship, which can cover tutoring costs for eligible students attending designated schools.

Fayette County currently has no qualifying Georgia Promise schools. Nearby Coweta County schools that qualify include Arnco-Sargent Elementary, Atkinson Elementary, Jefferson Parkway Elementary, Poplar Road Elementary, Ruth Hill Elementary, and White Oak Elementary.

“They can utilize my services and have those services paid for with a scholarship,” Foster said.

A second career with purpose

Before entering education, Foster worked in business, tax, and accounting. Teaching became a second career—and one that ultimately reshaped her understanding of what it means to help students succeed.

“My thinking at that time was that a teacher was someone with all this knowledge, and you just impart all this knowledge to students. However, that was the least of what teaching is,” she said.

Instead, she found the work centered on relationships.

“I really enjoyed building relationships with my students, and I found that once I built relationships, then they were ready to learn,” Foster said.

After retiring in June 2025 and being named Teacher of the Year at her school the previous year, Foster said she still felt called to continue serving students in a new way.

“I just felt like I still had a gift, something that I could use to help students,” she said.

Now, with The Tutoring Bus, she’s found a way to combine that calling with creativity—bringing education directly into neighborhoods across Fayette and Coweta counties, one stop at a time.